Desk shelf



DESK SHELF 2 Shee'ts-Sheet l INVENTOR fif/berf Sfcm/qy Underwood BY ATTORNEY April 26, 1 949. e. s. UNDERWOOD Filed Nov. 8, 1946 April 26, 1949. s. s. UNDERWOOD 2,468,473

, DESK SHELF Filed Nov. 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4b

4 g j 3! 6 4 ,INVENTOR.

7 6f/be/i 5700/? Underwood ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1949 UNIT E D" SiTAZl? E S PA -TENT F FICE DESK SHELE Gilbert S. Underwood, Washington, D; C.

Application November 8,1946, Serial No. 708,563

3 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon in accordance with the provisions of the act of April 30, 1928 (ch. 460, 45 stat. L. 467) My invention relates to office desks and particularly to a pivoted shelf that may be used for supporting records, papers, a typewriter, or other business machine in any one of a plurality of positions and which may be housed in a recess under the desk top without sacrificing drawer space.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a desk of the conference type showing my shelves in two positions as well as the position of a shelf when housed.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the desk as seen from the left of Fig. 1, showing my pivoted shelf when housed within the recess provided for it.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan View of one of my shelves.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical section showing my shelf and the pivot on which it is mounted, partly broken away.

Figure 6 is a detail of a pivot locking mount.

Figure 7 is a perspective View of a bushing shown in Figure 3.

In these drawings:

A desk top I I is supported by pedestals I2 each having a supporting foot I3. A shelf I4 is mounted on a downwardly extending pivot I5. The pivot I5 fits into a slot shaped opening I6 in a strap I! which is recessed into the desk top II.

The shelf I4 may be cast from non-corroding 3 metal and has a marginal reinforcing rim I8 and a diagonal reinforcing rib I9. A covering of any resilient material such as Wood or the like may be cemented or otherwise attached to the upper face of the shelf I4. A shield 2| is attached to the rim I8 by a suitable hinge 22 and has a headed pin 23, adapted to releasably engage a spring latch 24 from the rib I9.

The shelf I4 has a boss 25 having an aperture for the pivot I5 lined with a press-fitted bushing 26, having a spring portion 21 in alignment with a set screw 28 in the boss 25 to provide a means for regulating the friction between the shelf I4 and pivot I5.

The shelf M is supported by a boss 25 rigidly mounted on the pivot I5, while a clamping nut 30 and washer 3| assist in holding the pivot I5 firmly in place.

The shield 2| may be lowered whenever it is desired to divert a draft or to provide a screen.

My invention overcomes the annoyance and delays of moving records from the common form of sliding shelves for desks, whenever anything is needed that has been stored in a drawer underneath. With my invention it is merely necessary to push the shelf ninety degrees to uncover a tier of drawers without removing the records from the shelf. While primarily intended for use with desks of the type disclosed herein, it is obvious that my invention is suitable for use with many other types of desks, cabinets or even tables. Therefore, while a single embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all the novelty inherent therein as broadly as possible in view of the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. In an office desk provided with a tier of drawers, the usual leg-space and a shelf receiving recess above said drawers outwardly opening in one side of the desk, the improvement which comprises a shelf with downwardly extending reinforcing members, an apertured boss rigidly connected with and extending outwardly from one corner of said shelf, a shelf supporting pivot mounted at the outer front corner of said tier of drawers and extending downwardly from the desk top, said shelf being pivotally mounted on said pivot and adapted to support a load in any one of a plurality of positions and when unloaded to be concealed within said shelf recess.

2. In an oflice desk provided with a tier of drawers, the usual leg-space and a shelf receiving recess above said drawers with an opening in an outer side of the desk, the improvement which comprises a shelf with downwardly extending reinforcing members, an apertured boss extending outwardly from one corner of said shelf, a friction regulating sleeve within said boss, a shelfsupporting pivot mounted at the front corner of said tier of drawers remote from said leg-space and extending downwardly from the top of said desk, said shelf being pivotally mounted on said pivot and adapted to be moved while loaded into any one of a plurality of positions and when unloaded to be concealed within said shelfreceiving recess.

3. In an oflice desk provided with a tier of drawers and the usual leg-space, the improvement which comprises a shelf provided with downwardly extending stiffening members, an apertured boss extending outwardly from one corner of said shelf and rigidly attached thereto, a friction regulating sleeve within the aperture of said boss, a shelf-supporting pivot mounted at a corner of said tier of drawers remote from said leg-space and extending downwardly from said shelf, said desk being provided with a shelfreceiving aperture in the side remote from said leg space beneath the desk top and above the upper drawer of said tier, whereby said shelf may at will be swung into a plurality of positions while supporting a load and when unloaded to be concealed within said shelf-receiving recess.

GILBERT S. UNDERWOOD.

REFERENCES CITE The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

